Eros & Apollo
by NoneOfThisWorld
Summary: (The title is the name of a song that happened to come on as I was writing this out) Thor suggests letting Loki join the Avengers and Steve might have fallen for the new girl at S.H.I.E.L.D. Warning: This story takes place after the events in New York and the new Thor Movie coming out. The idea is based on "what if" so bare with me. Other than that, enjoy. Rated M just in case.
1. 1: Notes

With fall drawing near, Steve found the crisp air a refreshing change, promising better things to come. Ever since the Avenger's initiative began, he was sure it wouldn't work. Bringing a group of completely different people together, to work together under one order, seemed completely impossible. With enough work and the right motivation, they finally managed to make it work; however, to some extent.

Over a short two years since they started, they've seemed to really have things worked out. Natasha had a large majority of the red, already wiped from her ledger, but she still had a long ways to go to get back into the green. Even after she was in the clear, many of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s members had bets in place that she'd stay even after. Especially if Clint stayed with them.

With the help of Bruce and Pepper, Tony had managed to mostly convert Stark Tower, into the official meeting spot of the Avengers. Tony of course still insisted in having at least twenty private floors for, "stuff and junk," his exact words. No one really complained, however, it is his building after all, and they really only used a few of its many floors.

Recently, Thor had gotten into contact with them again, and had a proposal he wanted to run by the team, but he hoped to do it in person, hence the meeting. Steve flipped through some paper work as he entered the building. He gave a quick nod towards the receptionist, before continuing to the main elevator. Once inside, he hit the button then returned his attention back to his paper work.

"Hold the elevator!" a woman called, running towards him.

Steve looked up, his head tilted in curiosity and slight amusement. How a woman managed to run in a tight knee length skirt and Stilettos, he will never know. Raising a hand, he held the door until she got in. Once the doors fully closed, he couldn't help but notice her features.

She had long, dark, curly hair, pulled into a pony tail, pale skin, high cheek bones and green eyes. Dark framed glasses, did something to bring out her eyes, that was hard for Steve to ignore. She wore a purple blouse and a straight black skirt that reached just to her knees.

The woman shifted the purse on her shoulder along with the binders she held in her arms, which somewhat reminded Steve of something from an old high school flick, or rather something from his time, that would be considered old. He shrugged in his mind and it was then he realized he had never seen her in the Avenger's Tower before. As if she could read his thoughts, she looked to him, offering a sweet smile.

"Hi, I'm Lonna," she began, shifting her binders once more to free her a hand from the entrapment of her work, "I'm new to S.H.I.E.L.D. and they wanted me to get a feel for things through this meeting."

Steve couldn't help but return the smile as he accepted the hand shake, "Steve Rogers, welcome to the team," he greeted.

"Oh, I know who you are," she replied a little too excitedly. "You're Captain America," she exclaimed, before turning away quickly as her cheeks flushed bright red. "Sorry, Fury warned me not to get too excited and that I should hurry up and get used to it if I plan on staying with you guys as a part of the team."

Steve kept the smile on his face, "I think you'll be just fine," he assured her. The elevator gave a soft ding and the doors opened, "I believe this is our stop."

The pair stepped off the elevator and entered the meeting area. Everyone was already sitting around the large table in the center, marked with the Avengers logo. A few other S.H.I.E.L.D. members dotted the room, but Lonna decided to take a seat, which Steve felt the need to hold out for her. Pressing out the wrinkles in her skirt, she accepted the gesture with a smile and set up her note pad and binder.

Tony rose a brow at her old fashionedness, but paid no more attention to her and instead, directed his attention towards Steve, "Late to your own meeting, Captain Spangle Pants?"

Steve hardly reacted to Tony's comment, then glanced at Thor, "Technically it's his meeting, I just picked the date and time," he shrugged, "But you're right, I am late, sorry. I was reading and walking again," he admitted sheepishly, "I had a few incidences."

"You're as bad as people who text and walk," Tony pointed out as he glanced at his phone, while walking about the table to find his seat, which happened to be beside Lonna.

"Are we about ready to start now?" Fury asked, irritation rising in his voice.

Everyone's eyes fell on Fury, telling him that he had the floor. "Alright. As you all know, Thor set up this meeting, because he had a proposal he wanted to bring about to the group. Now let's just skip all the formalities and skip to the end." He gestured towards Thor, "You have the floor."

Thor gave a nod, before standing from his seat. His eyes scanned the group of people, falling on Tony, for only a moment, watching as he flirted away with the new woman, who was currently trying to take notes of the whole situation. Shaking his head he finally poke.

"Recently, in a world beyond Midgard, there was a war. I fought in that war among my trusted friends," he paused for a moment, "And my brother. The others didn't take kindly to the situation at first until they found that he could be trusted...to an extent. My brother will always be a trickster and no matter how hard he tries he gets bored and needs some form of prank to keep himself occupied." His eyes watched every member of the group as he spoke. "I myself never thought I'd be able to work alongside my brother and only went to him as a last resort. Just when we thought it wouldn't work, he came through for us all. If it weren't for him..." Thor paused, "My proposal to you all, is that I wish to allow my brother to, what was it Lady Natasha said, clear the red from his ledger?"

As the words left his lips, an uproar boasted through group like wild fire. Every person disagreeing at once, sharing their side as to what Loki had done to them and what he caused. It was hard to determine which voice began where and ended when, even being a god, there was no way Thor could hear who said what.

"SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!" Fury shouted. The room went still and slowly, each member took back to their seats. "Now I know as well as everyone in this room, just what kind of shit Loki caused and the damage that had been done, but Thor is no moron. He sure as hell might be a dumb ass at times, but I don't think he'd suggest allowing his brother to join, on a whim. I suggest you all at least consider the idea for a day or two, then perhaps-"

"Are you insane?!" Natasha demanded, slamming her hands onto the table as jumped from her chair. "We've all seen how he works." She looked to Thor, "No offense, but this could have been his plan all along, pretending to be good during a war just so he can be accepted into the Avengers to tear us all apart from the inside out. I don't know about the rest of you, but no thanks!" she snapped, plopping back into her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

Thor scrunched up his nose in protest, "Honestly, I don't think he'd have the attention span for that," he mumbled.

"She's right," Steve finally chimed in, "One good deed, even with good intentions, does not resolve you of many bad ones. He'd have to really prove himself to us before we'd even consider discussing allowing him to join."

Thor remained as he stood, listening to Steve's exact words, "And how exactly would we go about doing that?"

"We could allow a trial period," Bruce suggested.

Everyone turned to look at him, almost forgetting he was there.

"Any suggestions?" Fury demanded, frustrated with the whole situation. He directed his attention towards the new recruit who was currently playing with the plastic Captain America shield bouncing on the small spring attached to the end of her pen. "Time to put your intelligence to the test Ms. LaChance. Any idea how we could give Loki a trial period?"

Lonna looked up from her pen, her face blank as if she didn't recognize her own name for a moment, but without making a comment towards it, she sat up straight, "We could, put him through a few simple tasks, ones that don't take a lot of effort, but require working with a team and relying on one another. You know, mindless tasks and those of the sort," she shrugged.

Fury snorted and looked to the rest of the group, "Any better ideas?" he asked.

They exchanged glances with one another, but no one could come up with a single idea, or at least none they wanted to share. Perhaps they really weren't ready to test boundaries.

Fury shook his head with a sigh, looking back at Thor, "Sorry, son, but looks like the team isn't ready for this kind of step."

Thor nodded resting his chin between his thumb and crook of his index finger, "I thought as much, twas a long shot," he sighed. Looking up at his comrades he gave a nod, "But it was worth a try."

"Are we quite finished here, then?" Tony asked, "I left my latte downstairs," he pouted.

The brow over Fury's patch rose and he looked to the team, "Well?" The looks were all he needed, "Alright then," he looked over towards Lonna, "Hand me next week's agenda," more demanded more than anything.

Shuffling through her work, she pulled out a notebook and held it out towards Fury. Fury took the notebook flipping through it, and frowned, "I think this is the wrong one," he said holding it up so everyone could clearly see it. On the page he had flipped it too, had the group as they sat in their seats, drawn skillfully in blue ink. Flustered, she lurched forward to snatch it from Fury's hand and began digging once more through her three binders.

"Did you take any notes?" Fury asked, rage growing in his voice.

"I'm so, so sorry Director," she apologized repeatedly. "I-I," her face flushed bright red at the situation as Tony rose from his seat, moving along side her. He held out a glass tablet that's completely see through with hardly any form of frame other than the handle.

"Time you've joined the present," he smiled, "This is my old one..." he paused pulling a smaller version out of his pocket then with one swipe of his hand, as if by magic, all the saved data he had on the large one, transferred to the smaller one, "Practically brand new," he beamed.

Lonna stared at him wide eyes, "Are you sure?"

Tony nodded, "Of course, that's the kind of person I am now...I do nice things for lesser people," he beamed.

"Well, he almost had it," Bruce mumbled.

Tony glanced over his shoulder at him, and Bruce only smiled back.

Lonna beamed at him, "I'm sorry I'm just so...old fashioned," she sighed.

"We're done here right?" Tony asked.

"Not quite," Fury interrupted, then looked back to Lonna who quickly found the agenda and handed it to Fury. "We meet again on the third," he announced, "Five o'clock, if you can't make it, then too damn bad," he handed the agenda back to Lonna who quickly accepted it, putting it back into one of her binders.

"Now are we done?" Tony groaned.

Fury answered by turning to leave the meeting room.

"Good," Tony beamed, then looked to Lonna, "Walk with me as I give you a quick tutorial on how these work," he said with a gentle hand on her back, guiding her out of the room.

The rest cleared out quickly, but Steve stayed behind when he caught a glimpse of a notebook that had fallen under Lonna's seat. She must have missed it when she left. Picking it up, curiosity got to him and he found himself flipping through it, half hoping to find some more of her drawings. When he looked inside, he was a bit confused, however. It was blank. Perhaps she's just well prepared and didn't like to waste time to stop and go out to buy more notebooks. He had to get it back to her either way.

Hopping back into the elevator, he made his way back down to the lobby and immediately spotted her. He began to walk up to her, until he spotted Thor with her. They seemed to be having an intense conversation, that ended with her smacking him hard across the face.

Thor gave little reaction, aside from rubbing the spot on his face where her hand had made contact. Mumbling under his breath, in his native language, Thor exited the building, leaving Lonna to herself.

Steve waited a few heartbeats before approaching Lonna, notebook in hand, "Mind telling me what that was about?"

Lonna had the faint remains of a smirk on her face as she looked after Thor, then turned to look at Steve, taking a moment to register the question, "Hm? Oh, that? Nothing," she assured him. "I s'pose I over reacted."

Steve roses a brow, but didn't comment, as if waiting for more to the story.

"He said something cheesy about the blue in my art matching the blue in my eyes," she shook her head, "I guess I just took it the wrong way, not to mention, my eyes are green," she waved it off.

"Well, from what I saw, your art _is_ quite good. All in pen too, that's quite amazing. I can hardly draw a stick figure in pencil, " he admitted with a smile.

Lonna looked down sheepishly and Steve noticed the hint of pink in her cheeks, "It's nothing," she shrugged, "Just doodles." She offered a soft smile, "I'm kind of a huge fan of you guys," she admitted, "Which is part of the reason I wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D." She caught sight of the notebook in Steve's hand, "What's that?"

Steve had almost forgotten, as he lifted the notebook to look at it, "Ah yes, you left this back upstairs," he held it out too her. "Speaking of which, where are all your other binders."

Lonna giggled, "Stark smooth talked me into letting him carry them to my car for me," she winked.

Steve pursed his lips in amusement, "Ah, well, I ought to get going," he said looking to his watch, "I'll see you next week." He offered a smile and began to leave, when she spoke again.

"Or we could get a drink," she blurted out. Her face lit up again, "As co-workers," she quickly added.

Steve rose a bemused brow, "I'd like that."

* * *

**A/N: So I think I've got most the character's down pretty well, or at least decently, but I need some work on getting Thor, so if anyone has any pointers, let me know. :D**


	2. 2: Dance

Steve rose a brow, watching Lonna take another shot, "Wow, you can handle your liquor well," he chuckled.

Lonna smirked, "Just trying to keep up with you."

"Well, I hope you're up for the task, because you're going to lose. I have the metabolism, four times the regular amount of a normal human being. I can't get drunk," he shrugged.

Lonna frowned, "Guess that goes along with being super, huh? You're not going to take advantage of me, then, are ya?" she teased.

Steve choked on his beer and quickly shook his head, "I would never-"

Lonna giggled, "I was only teasing. Besides, I'm pretty good at holding my liquor, I won't give in that easy.

Steve watched her a bit longer before taking another sip of his beer. "So, being new to SHIELD, how much do you know about Loki?"

Lonna stared at him for a moment before downing another shot,"Well...let's see. Most his life he was led to believe he was a son of Odin and had just as much a chance for the throne as his _brother_, Thor," she stared, making air quotes around the word brother. "Only to find, after defying everyone who loved him, does he discover the truth about his heritage."

"Which was?" Steve asked.

"That he was the abandoned son of King Laufey, King of Frost Giants."

"Frost Giants?"

"Give me a sec," Lonna said, pulling out her tablet, the very one Tony had given her earlier that day. She scrolled through the information she managed to already get uploaded, "There wasn't an actual picture in SHIELD's data base, but they got a good enough description from Thor, last time he was on Earth. She held the tablet up for Steve to see the artists depiction based on what Thor had told him. "Not that it really matters, from what I understand, Loki wiped them all out."

Steve rose a brow, "Why would he wipe out his own kind?"

"Anger, frustration, spite, who know, the guy is nuts. After Loki found out he was nothing more than a trophy picked up by Odin, to use later as a means to make peace with the Frost Giants. Not only had Odin lied to Loki, but his own father, his true father, abandoned him. As far as I can tell, it must have been some form of a bad omen for a child of Jötunheim be born a runt. Though I don't have all the info on them yet, so I can't be sure."

"What's a Yo-ten-hymn?" Steve asked, having issues with the word.

"Jötunheim," Lonna corrected, "It's the true name of the world of the Frost Giants. Kind of like how they call our world Midgard, and where Loki and Thor are from is called Asgard. It's kind of like how when in America, we call Germany, Germany and in Germany they call it Deutschland. I know that's not the best example, knowing the time you come from, but you get the idea. So, any ways, everyone found out Loki was behind it and Loki and Thor got in a big fight. Loki fell over the side of the Bifröst Bridge, and before you ask, it's a magical rainbow bridge that connects Asgard to many worlds, and supposedly to his Death. Turns out he got picked up somewhere, got a hold of the tesseract and teamed up with the Chitauri, taking out most of Manhattan. "

"All because he was jealous of his brother? Sounds to me like nothing more than a child throwing a temper tantrum," Steve frowned, folding his arms.

Lonna shrugged, grabbing a handful of beer nuts, "More or less," she replied, then popped a few into her mouth. "Just, more like a young god, throwing a temper tantrum. So, why'd you want to know what I knew about Loki?"

Steve sat forward finishing his beer, "Just curious, mostly. Fury referred to your intelligence on the subject, so I was wondering just what you know about him. I only expected to maybe hear what _we_ know about Loki, I didn't expect to hear his history."

Lonna winked, "That is my job, to know whatever I might need to know, when asked. Cause, even you would know, sometimes a computer just doesn't cut it, when you can ask a professional rather than look it up."

"But isn't that kind of knowledge dangerous, if you fall into the wrong hands?" Steve asked.

"You make me sound like a thing, rather than a person," she teased. "Anything involved with SHIELD could be dangerous, but I still have a lot to learn yet. SHIELD just wanted to cram stuff on Loki into my head first. I'm not quite sure why, but it could be because of what happened in New York, despite what Thor may think. It's hard to say."

Steve considered everything Lonna said for a moment, then asked, "What do you think? Should we give Loki a chance?"

Lonna watched him, face un-showing of her thoughts. Some time passed until she finally answered. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, unfortunately, so other than what I've been told or read, and without being directly affected by him, I don't know. What I do know is, sometimes people can be quite surprising, whether it's the quiet girl in the back of the class that suddenly becomes a mass murderer or the mad man who murdered several people, realizing the damage he had caused, deciding to turn around and clear his name. It's hard to say, really. The best thing I can tell you is, you'll never know until you hold your breath and dive in. Honestly, with what I've read, it could go either way."

Steve nodded, "Everyone has been effected by Loki, one way or another, I doubt any of them would ever come around to allowing him a test trial."

"What about Dr. Banner? He's the one who suggested it, and he was probably the most effected of the Avengers, right?" Lonna suggested.

Steve pursed his lips, considering it for a moment, "You're right, he did suggest it, but that still doesn't mean the others would go along with it."

Lonna shrugged, "Like I said, it's a matter of taking that leap and seeing what happens." The music in the bar changed, catching Lonna's attention. It was Seether's Broken, featuring Amy Lee. "I love this song," she cooed swaying to the song.

Steve couldn't help but smile watching her sway, but the smile quickly faded once he remembered the promise he had made. He never did learn how to dance.

Lonna slid off her stool, holding out a hand, "Come on," she beamed.

Steve eyed her hand then met his eyes with hers,"I...I," he stuttered, "I can't dance," he admitted sheepishly.

Lonna kept the soft smile on her face, "Can you sway?"

Steve curled in his lip in hesitation, "Well, yeah..."

"Then you can dance," she encouraged.

Reluctantly, Steve took her hand, rising from his stool. Lonna reached her arms out, draping them over his shoulder's. Steve stiffly took her waist as they began moving side to side, Lonna guiding him as they moved, "See, you can too dance."

Steve chuckled, "I guess I can." Steve stopped suddenly, then looked down at Lonna, "Hey, if I can't get drunk, and you hold your alcohol so well, what are we doing in a bar?"

Lonna looked up at him, a sly smile on her lips, "What are you suggesting?"

* * *

The light trickled in softly, grazing over soft skin in a warm glow. Eyes fluttered open, glancing around the room. A moment of confusion passed followed by realization. Soft green eyes watched carefully as Steve slept with gentle breath. Green eyes moved from Steve's sleeping form and towards the door across the room. Slipping from the bed, a pile of cloths were removed from the floor as well as a spare sheet and disappeared from the room. Down the hall, green eyes found their reflection as well as a frown.

"I'm sorry," Loki whispered. Pulling the sheet tighter around his waist, he closed his eyes and faded from the apartment.


	3. 3: Fury

Lonna bit into her cinnamon raison bagel, licking the strawberry cream cheese from the corner of her mouth as she jotted down various notes. Glancing up from her work, she caught Thor watching her and gave a 'What?' face, to which he merely shook his head and returned his attention back to Director Fury. Lonna looked back at her work, quite relieved Stark had given her the data pad completely free of charge, though she had a sneaking suspicion it was his way of flirting. She smirked to herself, knowing he wouldn't get very far, but couldn't help but be glad she wouldn't have to strain her shoulders any more with so many binders. _Kudos to you, Mr. Stark._

"Lonna, bring up what information we have on Jötunheim," Fury prompted.

"Didn't Loki destroy that place, with like, the Death Star, or something?" Tony asked.

"Bifröst," Lonna corrected, beating Thor to the punch.

"Meh, it's a large spherical space thing that shoots death lasers," Tony explained, "Same difference."

"If rainbows and bridges are a means to our destruction, then we've been doomed since the beginning of time," Lonna retorted, with a snarky smirk.

Thor shot her a warning look.

"Feisty, I'm liking you more and more," Tony beamed, until he caught Pepper glaring at him.

As Fury requested, Lonna located all the information she had on Jötunheim, and threw the information onto the smart table so everyone could see the information. With technology like this, it beat old photocopied hand outs, hands down.

"Jötunheim," Director Fury began, ignoring the exchange that just took place, "Is just one of many realms we are just learning about. With the help of Thor, and what little information we managed to milk out of Loki, we're learning more about these places. With recent events taking place, more worlds are finding out about us as well. So to avoid further damage, we need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that others can and will attack. Knowing what to expect only puts us ahead. So, yes, Jötunheim was destroyed, but that just leaves seven other known realms to deal with. As we learned with the attack on Manhattan, and Thor pointed out, there are other unknown worlds, and as far as that goes, we have a lot of research ahead of us."

"So, why do they call it the nine realms if there's other unknown worlds?" Clint asked.

"The Galaxy you call, Milky Way, which I believe is also the name of a dessert, is only one origin of the realms. Seeing as there are many known galaxies, there are many realms," Thor replied.

"Are you suggesting that there's hundreds of realms then?" Steve asked.

"Could be millions," Lonna suggested, glancing over to Steve. Their eyes locked for a moment, Lonna's cheeks flushing slightly at the memory of their night together, a few nights back. She hadn't talked to him since, for many reasons. She saw the hurt flash across his eyes, but looked back towards the director. "Needless to say, we have a lot of research to do."

"Each of you have your files e-mailed to you, plus a hard copy for those of you who haven't quite figured out technology yet," Fury said, flashing a look towards Steve, "We'll discuss more on the matter, next week, same time, same day. You're all dismissed." He looked to Lonna and Steve, "Can I speak to you two, for a second," he more demanded than asked.

"Ooooh," Tony cooed, "Someone got caught making out in the janitors closet!" he teased as he left the room.

Steve rolled his eyes as he rose to meet with Fury, but part of him wondered if Stark might be half right. Had Fury somehow found out about what happened between the two of them a few nights ago? They did have their eyes and ears, virtually everywhere. Steve flushed slightly at the thought. It wasn't professional to have that sort of relationship, or any sort of relationship with a co-worker. Though they technically weren't co-workers, none of the Avengers got paid to save the world, unlike the SHIELD agents, they just happened to...work together?

"Lonna isn't all that tech savy," Fury began, "but she does have her foot in the door, which is a bit more than you can say."

Steve held his breath, eyes trying not to glance at Lonna, but it was proving a difficult task.

Lonna on the other hand, seemed relatively relaxed as she held onto every word.

"I think you both can get something good out of each other if you learn together, so why not got to a museum or tech convention. Might be entertaining and informative," Fury suggested.

Steve rose a curious, "Almost sounds like you're sending us on a date."

"Did you want it to be a date?" Fury asked sarcastically.

Steve stuttered, but managed to compose himself, "We should keep thing professional," he replied.

"The last thing we need right now, during times like this, are distractions in the work place," Lonna agreed.

"I was only joking," Fury assured them, "No need to act so guilty," he chuckled then turned to leave, "But seriously," he called over his shoulder, "you should both look into getting updated to the 21st century," he added, leaving the meeting room.

"What was that about?" Steve asked, glancing down at Lonna.

Acting quickly, she snatched his hand, dragging the man to a corner of the room, checking the angles of the cameras, that she was aware of, and forced him against the wall. Steve was about to protest,( despite the fact that he practically allowed her to drag him along, knowing his strength) until she pressed her lips against his.

The moment was short lived when Lonna pulled away, speaking in a low tone. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I've been holding back since the other night, because I didn't want anyone to catch on." She bit her lip, stepping back a bit, "I mean, I don't know how you feel about the other night, but if-"

Steve cut her off by continuing the kiss. He cupped her cheek, hand moving up to comb her hair. A soft moan escaped her lips. Steve broke away, looking down at Lonna, etching her face into his memory. He wondered how it could have moved so fast, not that kissing a woman was moving fast, but the fact that the same day he had met her, they slept together. But here there were, talking like it had been going on for a long time, though it had been less than a week. There was something about her that was so enchanting.  
"So...um...Fury suggested a museum," Lonna began.

"I used to love museums as a kid," Steve beamed, "Though I'm sure they're much different now, than they were back then," he admitted sheepishly.

"Quite," Lonna admitted. "So...should we go see one?"

Steve glanced at the clock, "Well, it's only a quarter past 2, we might have time to make it to one," he smiled. Leading the way, he held the door open, allowing her to walk out first. They were half way down the hall when she stopped in her tracks.

"Forgot my tablet," she said suddenly, "I'll meet you down stairs, I'm just going to run back and grab it really quick," she announced.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

Lonna nodded, before heading back to the meeting room. Entering the room, she spotted her data pad laying on the table. She was half way across the room, when she stopped suddenly and glanced over her shoulder, "You should know better than to try to sneak up on me," she smiled.

"I wasn't trying to," Thor admitted, folding his arms across his chest, "I only mean to talk."

Lonna picked up her tablet, then took a seat, crossing her legs before resting her chin in her palm and supported her elbow on the arm rest, watching Thor with lazy eyes, "So talk," she replied.

"What are you working at, brother?" The heavy Asgardian accent asked.

Lonna shrugged nonchalantly, "Only trying to make friends."

"Seems to me you're trying to make more than just friends," Thor accused.

Lonna sarcastically rolled her eyes, "There's nothing wrong with flirting," she scrunched up her nose in a playful mood.

Thor shook his head, "This isn't the first time you've used your magic to mess with the mind of a man, Loki, and I don't expect it to be your last, or do you forget about your son, Sleipnir? Or your many other children?"

Lonna's jaw dropped slightly, "I'm not as naive as I used to be, brother, don't chastise me!" she snorted.  
Thor shook his head, "Just be careful," Thor warned, "the moment your idea goes south, I'm withdrawing myself from this game."

Lonna merely shook her head and scoffed, "Whatever."


	4. 4: Tech

Lonna nibbled on a Twizzler she had bought from the vending machine on their way in. Holding the bag out to Steve she shook it to get his attention. He was in shook from the moment they walked into the _Sony Wonder Technology Lab_, an exhibit in Manhattan. By the sound of the ruffling bag, his eyes locked in on it, a small smile creeping across his face.  
"Want one?" Lonna beamed.

Steve reached into the bag, retracting a string of liquorish and bit into it with a dorky smile. "This place is pretty cool!"  
Lonna chuckled at his excitement, "We haven't even got passed the entrance," she said, gesturing towards the door behind them.

Steve blushed slightly, returning his attention towards the Twizzler, nibbling on it. "So...let's check out the exhibits," he suggested, moving forward.

Lonna smiled to herself, following closely behind him.

The pair entered their selves into the system, as explained at the beginning and became part of the exhibit their selves. "I never would have guessed that your favorite color would be orange," Lonna admitted, after they logged into the system.

Steve chuckled to himself, "What did you think it was, red, white, or blue?" he teased.

Lonna pursed her lips sheepishly, "Kinda."

"Well, I must admit, there's nothing better than good ol' red, white and blue, but there's just something interesting about orange. Though you're one to talk, I never expected someone who wears so much purple to have green as a favorite color."

Lonna gave him a sly smile as if she was hiding something, "You're quite the observant one, aren't you?"

Steve only smiled back at her as he continued on, making his way through the first part of the exhibit. The first part was quite interesting, but once they got to the "Anytime/Anywhere Timeline", that's when things really got interesting. Both got to experience firsthand, how far media and communications technology had come over time. With the use of pictures they took at the beginning and voice recordings, they got to hear sound quality and picture clarity among other technological advances. They had fun working down the line of interactive stations, but decided to bypass the robot section.

"I think I've had enough of robots, to last a lifetime," Steve joked, "If I have to see another one of Starks _toys_, I'm gonna have to flip a table."

"_Toys, _you say," Lonna snickered, "Sounds kinky."

Steve flustered slightly until he realized she was only teasing. "God, you make me so uncomfortable," he blurted out.  
Lonna stopped mid stride with a frown, "I'm sorry I make you feel that way," she mumbled.  
Steve panicked, "I didn't mean it like that."

"Sure sounded like that."

Steve clicked his teeth coupled with a sigh. Turning to face Lonna, he smiled down at her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "What I mean is, you give me that strange, awkward feeling of being back in high school. Back when I was the weird kid who couldn't get a word in edge wise, to any of the pretty girls," he paused for a second, "actually the first part of my military career as well." He let out a long sigh, "You give me butterflies any time I see you and sometimes some of the stuff you say has...a weird effect on me," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at talking to women."  
The sweet smile returned to Lonna's face as she closed the gap between them, "Gosh, you speak like what happened the first time we met, never happened," she giggled, "you're so adorable."

Steve stuttered, his face heating even more. He watched with careful eyes as Lonna raised onto her tippy toes to plant a light kiss on his lips before continuing onward, "Shall we?" she beamed. He nodded and reluctantly followed. Continuing through the exhibit the two got a good kick out of the "WSWL Production Studio," where they got to experience what it's like to be every part of a news cast set. Both fought over who would be head anchor but they got their turns. The exhibit was coming to an end when Lonna announced she was getting hungry. Steve agreed and they decided they would stop at a local diner for something to eat.

"So this is really starting to feel like a date," Lonna said suddenly.  
Steve gaped several times, having an appearance of a fish. "I suppose it could be...I mean if you wanted it to."  
Lonna bit her lip, suppressing a smile. Contain yourself, she told herself. He's so innocent it's ridicules, almost sickening, and yet... "How about we head out and get some burgers?"

* * *

The diner was quiet, with very few patrons, but the food was very delicious. Steve was being entertained by Lonna dunking her fries into her milk shake like it was gold. "What? It's not bad," she said offering one to Steve.

Steve took it and tried it. With a smile and a shrug, he nodded, "You're right, that's not half bad. You've got quite the appetite, you know."

"I don't know what it is," she admitted, taking another bite, "I'm not usually this hungry, nor this fond of mid-" she paused for a moment, clearing her throat, " mediocre food. This place did a really good job though." Nice save.

"Yeah, it's really great," Steve agreed.

Lonna's phone started to ring, but it took her a few seconds to realize it was hers. Pulling it from her purse, she answered it and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?" The smile quickly fell from her face, "Yes...yes Sir...ok...yes." she hung up her phone and looked to Steve grimly. "There's been an attack downtown," she announced."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, and if there are any errors, I'll go back and fix it later. The next chapter gets really interesting.  
**


	5. 5: Ice

"We need to get there A-SAP!" Lonna said.

Steve stared at her with a blank expression.

"As soon as possible," she elaborated.

Steve nodded and they slid into the SHIELD car, Fury lent to them. "What all did Fury say about the attack?" Steve asked.

"Not much," Lonna replied, keeping her eyes on the road. "Just that it's some man calling himself Blizzard. And as the name suggests, he can apparently shoot ice at people and freeze them. Currently he's freezing down town and may have frozen a few by-standers."

They arrived to the destination where Fury had told them to go, seeing the cars and half the street covered in snow and ice. "I don't have my shield," Steve said suddenly.

"Furry says they have your gear but you won't have much time to change. I guess Stark is holding him off now, but he can't hold him back on his own."

Steve nodded, "Understood," they came to a stop, "Just let me out here, you get out of here and get somewhere-" He was cut off by a blast of ice, knocking the car over onto its roof. It was sent spinning around on the roof until finally coming to a stop. Steve looked to Lonna who was holding her head, "Are you alright?"

Lonna pulled her hand away and looked at it, "I think I'm good," she assured him.

Steve released his seat belt, then kicked his door off, "We need to get you out of here," he announced, slipping out from his side of the car. Running around to the other side, he pulled the door open and helped her out. "Run and find somewhere to hide!" he demanded.

"Now's not the time to party!" Iron Man called.

"Go!" Steve called, "Get out of here!"

Lonna nodded and began to run until another blast of ice came flying at her, literally freezing her in her tracks.

"Lonna!" Steve called out.

"Captain!" came Natasha's voice from above, in her jet. "Catch!" she called as Hawke tossed his shield down.

"Sorry, Cap, No time to change!" Clint called before firing an arrow at a blast of ice, headed his way.

Iron Man dropped down beside Steve, "You help them, I'll try to thaw her out of there, that is, if hypothermia hasn't already set in."

Steve glared at Tony, but he knew he hadn't meant it to be rude, at least not at that moment.

Just as Iron Man started up his heat beams, the ice that covering Lonna, began to crack all over.

"Um, guys," he stared, but everyone was too busy trying not to freeze, themselves. In one burst, all the ice flew in shards from Lonna's body. Iron Man readied himself to catch her, assuming she'd collapse, but she remained where she stood. In fact she seemed perfectly fine, aside from the deep blue skin. Tony had a feeling it had nothing to do with the cold and once she opened her eyes, he was sure.

"Well, that's different," he whispered.

"What?" Clint asked, glancing over just as he fired another shot at the oncoming Blizzard. "Wow..."

Both Steve and Natasha glanced over at the same time. Steve stared at her, wide eyed.

"Look out!" Lonna called. Lurching a hand forward, green energy shot from her fingertips, shattering the wave of ice that was on course to Natasha's jet.

No one said a word as they quickly returned to their fight. Lonna easily joined in, but Iron Man kept an eye on her the entire time. He knew there was something more to her then wanting to hid her looks and powers. Perhaps something dark. Right now wasn't a time to dread on _what if_, he had to focus.

Blizzard shot ice in every direction, trying to hit everyone and anyone within range. Steve held up his shield to deflect a blast of ice, "Does anyone know what this guy's motivation is?" Steve asked.

"Someone gave him the cold shoulder?" Iron Man joked.

"Haven't had the chance to ask," Clint added. "He hasn't given us much time to sit and chat."

"Let's just focus on putting a stop to him," Iron Man suggested. "We'll have time for questions later."

"Enough chit chat, ladies," Natasha warned, "incoming on your six!"

Steve deflected every attack that flew at him, despite his racing thoughts on Lonna. _She had powers all along? Why would she hide them? Does Fury know? Does anyone know? Maybe she's self-conscious of her looks, but how does she hide it?_ His mind continued to wonder as he continued to block, "There's no getting close to this guy, is there?!"

Lonna dashed side to side avoiding each blast of ice Blizzard shot towards her. The guy was quick to watch all sides, despite their number, but it could have something to do with them all coming from the front. Stark seemed to have the right idea as he launched himself into the air. Lonna ducked behind a car, cursing under her breath. "Uskit'r!" Reaching for her ankle, she undid the fasten to her heels and took them off, tossing them aside. "I don't know how women run in these forsaken things," she hissed. Peaking over the car, she calculated routes to take and plans of attack.

Meanwhile, watching from above, Natasha noticed how Lonna had tossed away her heals and pouted, "Those are Proda," she frowned.

Lonna moved along the cars, but Blizzard always managed to find her. Stark finally swept in from behind, blasting a few shots at him. It distracted him momentarily, but he recovered almost as quickly. Just when she was sure they wouldn't make any heading on this guy, as if from nowhere, the Hulk fell from the sky, landing on a building and lunged himself at the Blizzard, knocking him from his perch atop a light post.  
Everything came to a halt as Hulk pinned Blizzard to the ground. "Good job team," came Stark's voice through the com system. "And by team, I mean, all of Hulk, nicely done."

Clint rolled his eyes, "Let's load him up and get out of here," he grumbled.

"THIS ISN'T THE LAST OF ME!" Blizzard cried as they cuffed him and loaded.

"Oh, I think it is, Jack Frost," Iron Man said fastening the man into his seat on the jet.

The group gathered around once Natasha and Clint left carrying Blizzard back to the helicarrier for apprehension. The Hulk shrunk back down to Bruce size, clutching his pants in fear that they wouldn't elast-back to his size as well. Bruce glanced at the damage the Hulk had caused and frowned, "Sorry."

Tony removed the helmet and patted Bruce on the back, "That's nothing the tax payers money won't fix," he assured him.

Steve glanced around, worry in his face, "Where'd Lonna go?"

"Smurfette? I think she ducked behind that SUV," Tony pointed.

Steve jogged up to the vehicle, and knocked on the hood of it, "You ok?" he asked.

Lonna slowly stood up on the other side, her skin slowly returning to its natural look and her eyes changed back to the familiar green, Steve recognized. Lonna looked away, shame filling her face as she remained quiet. Few scratches dotted her face, but other than that she looked pretty fine.

"That was quite a surprise," Steve said, "How come you never mentioned your powers before? Does Fury know?"

"Why don't you share with the rest of the class," Tony chinned in. "If I'm not mistaken, I'd say that blue skin, red eye thing you had going on, looked a lot like the frost giants, depicted in those illustrations. Though, you're a bit short for a giant," Tony remarked.

Lonna kept her eyes low, biting her lip. _This Stark is quite intelligent_.

"Leave her alone," Steve warned.

"No, I won't because, if I'm right and she is a Frost Giant, didn't Loki supposedly wipe them out?" Tony pried.

"Tony, now's not really the best time for an interrogation. We really ought to get back to the tower, at least and discuss things from there," Bruce suggested.

Tony shook his head, "No, this can't wait," he demanded.

"You're right," Lonna replied. Suddenly her accent went from plane and basic to almost aristocratic. "Loki did wipe out all the Frost Giants, all but one," she allowed her skin to change back once more to the dark blue, her eyes engulfed in red, "Me."

Steve narrowed his eyes at her, in utter confusion, "Why would he let you live?" It came out almost accusingly, but he hadn't meant it that way.

"You won't like the answer to that," she said, slowly backing away.

"Why, are you like...his daughter, or something?" Bruce asked.

Lonna smiled lightly, feigning a laugh, "Not exactly."

"Quit beating around the bush," Tony boasted, "I know you're hiding something."

"She's given us no reason not to trust her, so she's...of different color and her eyes are a little different, she's still the same person we've been working with all this time," Steve barked. "I came from a time where a man discriminated against others for being different and murdered them because of that, now-"

"He's right," Lonna said quietly, "I've lied to you all along...all of you," she frowned, "I've betrayed everyone's trust, all for the sake of having a little fun."

Steve shook his head, "So, you're blue, we live in a world where Bruce can become a giant green man and Stark can have a sickening amount of money to play with. What's so wrong with blue? I actually quite like blue, it's the majority of my suit after all."

Lonna shook her head, "It's much worse than being blue or different, it's about who I really am," she admitted, keeping her eyes low. Raising her hands she kneel to the ground as golden light illuminated from her body, as her form shifted. In a matter of seconds, where there once sat Lonna, now sat Loki, hands raised in defeat, eyes cast to the ground in shame.

* * *

**A/N: So this is a relatively longer chapter full of juicy goodness. Sorry I'm not the best with fight scenes, nor do I know much about Blizzard, so sorry he really doesn't say anything and just exactly what he's doing is more or less left to the imagination. I mostly wanted a way to expose Loki and this was it. So I hope ya'll like it anywho...**


	6. 6: Tall

**SPOILER ALERT: So anyone who hasn't seen Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, just letting you know now (spoiler) Coulson LIIIIIIVES! Therefore he's in my story. Read on.**

* * *

Rage boiled up through Steve's body, cascading down his arm and pooling into his fist until the dam burst across Loki's face. Knowing the strength in Steve's arm, one could only imagine watching Loki fly clear across the street, so when Loki had to only brace himself from the ground at his side, one might think Loki is a lot stronger than he looks. That or Capt. held back quite a bit.

Loki looked up slowly, his signature grin, spread across his face, "I deserved that," he admitted.

"Keep talking and I'll hit you again," Steve warned.

"I rather you than him," Loki said, gesturing towards Bruce with a nod.

Upon request, Steve punched Loki again, this time forcing him to fall back, against the ground.

Loki kept the same smirk plastered to his face as he stared up at Steve, expression unchanging.

Steve chewed at his bottom lip, glaring down at Loki in utter disdain.

"You alright there, champ?" Tony asked, placing a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve flinched slightly, but remained mostly composed, "Let's get him back to Fury," Steve started, glancing at Tony, "He can figure out what to do from there."

"Not to burst any bubbles, but your director is fully aware of my presence within SHIELD, the entire time," Loki chinned in.

Steve shot a look at him, but Loki only retained his devilish grin as Bruce cuffed him with some makeshift cuffs Tony has thrown together using his suit. "You're lying," he hissed.

"I give you no reason to believe any different," Loki agreed, "But I assure you, your Director, is 100% aware of it being me all along."

"I wouldn't take anything he says with a grain of salt," Bruce said."My question is, why? Why would he infiltrate SHIELD and work alongside us for months, sounds quite a bit boring compared to what he did last time."

"It is Loki after all," Tony continued on, as if Loki were not even there. "Let's worry about interrogating him once we get him back to SHIELD."

"Yeah, cause that went so well last time," Steve snorted.

"I can assure you, there be no need for interrogation, I'll tell you everything you want to know, all you need is to ask," Loki assured them.

"Quite, Boy George, mommy and daddy are talking...and you're weird uncle," Tony said, gesturing towards Bruce. Bruce only rolled his eyes.

* * *

Natasha and Clint returned after Tony had contacted them, saying they had another one for custody. Neither were expecting to see Loki, so when he was loaded up and tightly fastened, Clint wondered over and towered over the man.

Loki stared up at him and offered a smile, "I can only imagine how you feel about seeing me again and if it's any consolation, I'd-"

Clint gave him a hard sock, straight to the jaw, almost exactly where Steve had hit him the first time.

"I deserve that one too," Loki mumbled.

"Why don't you just keep your thoughts to yourself," Steve snapped.

"Afraid I'll say something you'll regret?" Loki teased.

That was the last straw. With one last punch, Steve had Loki out like a light.

* * *

Loki awoke to bright light and a cool table, pressed against his cheek. His eyes were still adjusting to the bright light, when a voice caught his attention.

"I've been away for awhile, so I've missed a lot. Apparently some big things, like you for example," the voice said, "I thought I had seen the last of you in New York."

Loki's eyes focused in on the stern face of Agent Phil Coulson. "Ah," Loki exclaimed, "And how many of the good ol' tax payers dollars did it cost to raise you from the-"

THWAK!

Loki groaned, shifting his jaw around, "Well I appreciate you hitting the right side, for a change. I can't feel the left side of my face at the moment."

Coulson gave a slight smirk and nodded, "I think the dark black and purple is an improvement."

Loki smirked with a nod, "I'm sure."

Coulson took the seat across from Loki, never letting his eyes move away from Loki's. "Now, director Fury isn't here yet, but the others say, you claim that he was aware of this, all along?"

"I don't plan on getting punched in the face again," Loki replied, simply. Why don't you just wait until your director gets here."

Coulson pursed his lips then gave a short nod, "Very well then," he said before leaving Loki alone in the room.

"What if he's telling the truth?" Bruce asked, as Coulson exited the interrogation room.

"It's possible," Coulson admitted with a frown, but we won't know until Fury gets here. And if it is true, why would Fury keep it from us, let alone allow it to happen?"

"I wonder if this has anything to do with Thor's proposal a few months back?" Bruce suggested.

Coulson rose a brow, "I wasn't informed on any proposals made by Thor," he replied. "Then again, I've been dealing with other things lately."

"About two months ago Thor made a proposal of allowing Loki to join the Avengers in a means to redeem himself. I suggested a trial period, but no one would have it. Turns out Loki was there from the begging." Bruce stopped mid stride, "I wonder if Thor knows?"

Coulson tilted his head curiously.

Bruce considered Coulson's reaction for a moment, before elaborating. "Well, It's just interesting that on Lonna's first day working with the Avenger's Initiative, that Thor brings up the proposal of Loki joining the Avengers. Fury seemed to be more willing to allow us decide whether we let him join or not, rather than put in a final word himself."

Coulson furrowed his brow, "So you think not only was Fury aware of the thing, but he and Thor set it up from the beginning?"

"I believe so," Bruce nodded. "I mean, we all know Fury, he would have shot the idea down the moment it left Thor's mouth."

"You're absolutely right," came Fury's voice from behind them.

Both men turned to greet Fury with a nod. Coulson spoke up first, "Sir, was this the plan all along? Did you secretly allow Loki join SHIELD in an attempt to redeem himself?"

"Unfortunately," Fury replied, "It wasn't the best idea I've heard in my life, but after telling Thor 'no' for the umpteenth time, I finally decided, Why not?"

"But Sir, it could have been a repeat of New York," Coulson retorted.

"But it wasn't," Fury pointed out.

"Well yes, but-"

"End of discussion," Fury said cutting him off. "I have my reasons and we'll discuss it later. Now, if you would, please release Loki from the room, and gather the Avengers. We have things to discuss."

Coulson chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before giving a curt nod, "Yes Sir." As Bruce followed Fury to the meeting room, Coulson re-entered the interrogation room, undid Loki's massive cuffs, and held the door open, "We have a meeting," he said.

Loki's signature smile spread across his face, "Lovely."

* * *

"I call for a recount!" Tony demanded, "Loki doesn't play well with others, can't we just bench him?"

Fury stared at him un-amused, "Nor do you, and besides, it was already decided-"

"By who?" Tony interrupted.

"By me, and that's all that matters. You all got along with him fine, when you thought he was Lonna. What's so different about him now?"

"I can name a couple things," Tony snorted. "Besides, he tried to kill all of us, he succeeded a few times if you don't remember, which I do. Dear ol' Agent what's his name."

"Coulson," Coulson corrected, "I'm standing right here."

Tony frowned, "Right, sorry, I'm still not over the fact that you're still alive. Now we're dealing with zombies."

"I'm not a zombie," Coulson grumbled.

"That's enough," Fury said sternly. "Now you ladies can fight about who's prettier, latter, right now, let's just get things straight. Loki is part of the team now, so get over it. I have my reasons and that's final." He looked to Loki, dead on, "And if Loki gives us any reason to change our minds, then we'll take care of it. Clear?"

Loki gave the same, sly smirk that didn't make it any easier to believe him, "Crystal," he assured him.

"Mmhmm," Fury responded sarcastically. "Everyone on the same page?"

"You can't just say that your word is final and think we'll be okay with this!" Tony snapped. "He played us all before, who's to say he's not playing us all now. And what about big brother?! Where the hell is he on this?"  
Fury rose a hand, "Not another word on this, just...share stories, braid each other's hair. You'll figure it out. As for Thor, it's not like he has a cell phone that reaches other worlds." Fury turned and left them all in the room to themselves. "Ya'll play nicely," he called over his shoulder.

Tony cursed under his breath and immediately left the room as well, soon followed by Banner, then Clint and Natasha, so all that was left were Loki and Steve. Steve was steaming, but he found it increasingly difficult to look at Loki at the moment. All he saw was Lonna, and of course that fated first night they had together. He had to admit, she was quite aggressive then. But there's no way he could have known she was really Loki, especially with hips like that. Man did she know how to roll those hips. Despite the fact that she liked to be on top, the dominant one, there's nothing that could have clued him in on her being Loki. She was completely different from the Loki he knows, but he is the god of lies and mischief. And God he's such a great liar. Steve slammed his hands down on the table as he rose so suddenly, he knocked his chair back. "What are you playing at?!" he demanded.

Loki watched with careful eyes, his expression shifting to confusion, "I'm not sure what you-" Steve lunged over the table, and shoved Loki up against the wall. Clutching his throat tightly, giving him just enough room to have labored breath, "Why me?!" he eyed the man up and down, "Jesus, you're tall."

Loki tried to feign a smile, but Steve didn't make it easy, "Frost...Giant," he managed to gasp out, "The name...shouldn't be taken...lightly," he gasped again.

Steve's features softened when he realized just how much force he was putting into his grip, "You still haven't answered my question. Why did mess with me? Why would you...lead me on?" he asked, whispering the last few words as if he thought someone might hear.

Loki opened his mouth then closed it again. He wasn't sure how to word it, "I..." he gasped, "I only meant...for some...fun," he breathed, "It's my...nature..." he swallowed hard, "I hadn't...planned on..."  
Steve tightened his grip once more, restricting Loki's breathing, "Planned on what?!" Steve demanded.  
"I'm...not...sure of...the..word," he gasped, "Infatuation...desire..." his eyes locked with Steve's, "lust..."  
Steve let go of Loki's throat, taking a few steps back, "What?"

Loki gasped, rubbing his neck, as if making sure it was still there. "Don't make me say it again," Loki groaned.

"So...you mean...you weren't just messing with me, you actually..." Steve sealed his jaw tight. He wasn't sure he'd be able to repeat it.

"Oh, don't be so homophobic," Loki groaned, "I'm a shape shifter and I get bored and sometimes I fall for my play things," he said matter-o-factually. "I have no preferences, and sometimes things just...strike me."

"Is that supposed to be flattering?" Steve asked.

"Not at all," Loki replied with a shrug.

Steve couldn't help but find something comforting in how he said that, whether it was just that he didn't lead anything else to cling to, or that thick, milky smooth accent. Steve shook his head, but it was no use hiding the slight blush he wasn't aware of.

Loki rose a bemused brow, moving closer to Steve. Steve only took another step back, finding himself between Loki in the table. "Do you find yourself threatened, dear ol' Cap'n 'merca?" Loki taunted, forcing a hick accent.

Steve found himself suddenly laughing at Loki's poor attempt. He covered his mouth, shaking his head.

Loki pouted, "What?"

Steve only shook his head, "That was terrible," he laughed.

Loki frowned at his loss of leverage, so he decided to close the gap between him and Steve, towering over the man. He took in his appearance, remember that night together, but something about the memory made his stomach lurch slightly. Swallowing, he willed the feeling away.

"I..." Steve stuttered, "back off," Steve demanded, glancing away. It was more of a whisper than anything.  
Loki beamed down at the man, "Make me," he taunted. He stared down at Steve for a long while, watching him carefully, trying to get a good read. He thrived in having control and nothing felt better than having control over the Captain himself. Loki licked his lips, finding himself glancing at Steve's lips. Steve merely stared back at Loki, unmoving, un-speaking and looking rather nervous. Loki enjoyed that part the most.

Closing the gap, Loki cupped Steve's chin, kissing him ever so gingerly.

* * *

**A/N: And then that happened. Mmm, yush. So, just FWI If anyone has an issue with man on man action, there may or may not be some very soon, but it depends on how I feel the story should turn. Just a heads up, if you're not into that stuff, you've been warned. I'll try to post a warning at the top if it pops in, for those who wish to risk continued reading. But...yeah. So derp, here it is. I feel it got a little weak near the end and I may need to tweak some parts, but this is it as of now.** **I'm so excited though, I get to see Thor 2 tomorrow wif muh man. He's so sweet. I can't wait and I hope for more inspiration for this story. :'D**


	7. 7: Books

Steve gripped the table, firmly, finding it difficult to stand. _Loki's so aggressive when he kisses, it was just like- God, I think he's trying to choke me with his tongue. And his hands, they're-_ Steve broke the kiss, shoving Loki away, "What the hell do you think you're doing!" he demanded.

Loki chuckled under his breath. With his thumb and forefinger, he wiped the corners of his mouth, "You didn't seem to care so much a moment ago, that is until you realized you may being watched," he gestured to various cameras throughout the room.

Steve's eyes widened at the thought, his eyes darting around the room.

Loki chuckled, "Or you hadn't," he glanced around the room, "Not to worry, they can't see us...at least, not exactly. They see us in a different way."

"How do they see us?" Steve pressed.

"That's not important," Loki assure him. "What's important, is you kissed me back," he taunted, eyes raking over Steve's body in a hungry mater. "And it seems like you're body is expecting more," he added, licking his lips.

Steve's eyes fell to the rise in his pants. _How can this be possible?_ he wondered. _Unless it's more of Loki's magic? I mean, he's a guy, I can't...but I was just remembering Lonna and how she...with her tongue_. He felt his pants tighten and his flesh twitch with desire. There was no imagining that.

Loki moved forward once more, extending a hand outward, touching Steve's chest, "You say what's on your mind, but what's in your heart?" Loki asked, that Asgardian accent, circling Steve's ears in a seductive tone. _It has to be magic_, he told himself. _Hypnosis, perhaps. That has to be it._

Loki's hand trailed down Steve's chest until it reached the bulge in the man's pants. Carefully, he massaged it in a way that almost scared a moan from Steve's lips. Loki was thrilled to hear the sound and couldn't help but notice his own aroused excitement. He watched Steve, watch him in a mixture of possible terror and the desire for more, he decided to give him a little of both. Leaning forward, he bit at Steve's lip playfully, but to his surprise, Steve allowed him to do more. Loki tasted the innards of Steve's mouth once more, kissing him as he had before, though Steve seemed to participate a bit more this time. Loki couldn't help himself as he pushed his body harder against the other man, aching for more than touches. He wanted to feel the same way he had that first night when their bodies meshed together becoming one. Oh how he craved to have Steve within him, or perhaps switch it around for a change.

Loki was sliding his hand down Steve's pants when something un-expected happened. To Loki's utter surprise, he reached his climax with a soft moan and a hint of shock. Steve stared at him, when Loki quickly retracted his hand and stepped away. He couldn't help but notice how red Loki's face had become or how shocked he looked. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he was glad he had control over himself once more.

Maybe he hyped himself up too much, thinking of their night together, or even from imagining all the things he could do to poor Steve, but never in over a thousand years had he climaxed so easily. Well he had actually, but it only usually happened when he was... His thoughts trailed off. He didn't want to think about it. Not only had he lost control of his own body, but he almost lost control of his illusion. Not that he cared about ruining Steve's reputation, he just didn't like losing control in any form. Stepping back from Steve, he about faced and quickly left the meeting room, leaving Steve to himself.

Steve took the nearest chair and sunk into it, trying to put things together in his mind. What he really needed most was a cold shower, but he was afraid to go anywhere at that moment. Just when he thought he could sit and clear his mind, Coulson popped his head into the room, "Everything okay in here?" he asked, glancing around the room.

Steve broke out of his thoughts, looking up from the table. _Well, that works_, he thought to himself as the tension in his pants seemed to lighten up quite a bit. "Yeah, why?"

Coulson watched him a bit longer, "Seemed like you and Loki were having quite a heated conversation..."

Steve wondered about just what Loki made them see, if in fact he really had put up an illusion, but it's not like he was going to ask, "Something like that."

Coulson stared at him a moment longer, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, I just...need to be alone for a bit," Steve replied.

"Was it something he said?" Coulson pressed.

_More like something he did_, "I just need to be alone," he repeated.

Coulson tightened his jaw then nodded, "Of course," he said, then left the room.

* * *

A steady rain began to fall around the helicarrier followed by thunder. Loki looked up from the book he had been reading and listened.

Tony had just entered the library, not as surprised as he thought he'd be, to find Loki in one of the easy chairs, reading. "Sounds like dear ol' brother is dropping by to check in on you."

Loki smirked, "I'm sure Heimdall alerted him that I've been exposed," he replied, not looking up from the book.

"Who?" Tony asked.

Loki folded his finger between the book's pages, holding his place and looked up at Tony, "A guardian of sorts. He's all seeing, all hearing...kind of like that midgardian children's fable about the fat man that flies around once a year. The one who breaks into houses in the middle of the night, eats your food and leave cheep plastic gifts under a dying tree. Sounds barbaric to me. And the poem isn't much better. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake...sounds unsettling if you ask me."

"You're bashing Santa? That's just low," Tony sighed.

"I didn't write your fables," Loki snorted, "don't blame me for that. I just don't understand these." He held up the book he had been reading, "In what lore do vampires sparkle?"

Tony stifled a laugh, "Of all the books in this library, and you're reading Twilight? I should have known you'd find the most flamboyant book here. Why in the world would SHIELD keep a copy of it, is what I want to know."

Loki peeked to the front of the book, "Says it's _Property of Phil Coulson_," he read aloud.

"No surprise that it belongs to the world's biggest fanboy," Tony snorted.

Loki chuckled, "So what would you suggest?"

"Probably one of the boring ones, like _Moby Dick_ or the _Scarlet Letter_, _Romeo and Juliet_, boring stuff, stuff you might like," Tony shrugged.

Coulson entered the room, followed by Thor, "Your brother is here," he announced.

Loki directed his attention to the agent, brow raised, "Thank you, because I had, _literally_ no idea by the sound of thunder a moment ago or the fact that he's standing right next to you."

"Brother," Thor cut in, "I had no idea-"

"Save the act Thor, they're well aware of everything," Loki told him as he rose. He held the book out to Coulson, "I don't understand the fascination with this story."

Coulson frowned, but hesitantly took the book, "Well obviously, you don't have taste," he protested.

"_Apparently_," Loki replied, sarcasm dripping all over the word.

"The trial was a failure," Thor announced. "I've come to take you back home."

"That's not my home!" Loki snapped.

"Nor is Jötunheim, so where do you plan to go? Midgard obviously doesn't want your presence here, so what else is there for you?" Thor objected.

"Now that's not entirely true," Fury said as he entered. He looked at a shelf of books to his left, scanning through a few titles before pulling one out. "I'd suggest the _Great Gatsby_," he said, tossing it towards Loki, who caught it easily. "As for him leaving, I already told the others he's staying. At least for a bit longer. The first trial wasn't a complete failure, now that they know who he is, he has to work on earning back their trust. He had it as Lonna, but it will take a lot more to earn it as Loki. Now if he's willing to oblige, then he can stay, but he has to work like the others and be willing to take orders. Steve is your commanding officer, are you going to be okay with that? I saw the argument between the two of you. You have to be willing to drop whatever beef you have with Steve and do as he says, understood?"

Loki struggled to hold back the laugh, "Oh, that...I think we'll be able to get past that."

Fury watched him a bit longer before looking to Thor, "Is that okay with you? He's your charge, is he not?"

Thor glanced between the men in the room, "He is and I'm not sure I should leave him here alone while I'm so far away, but I have my duties on Asgard." He thought for a moment, "Perhaps I can drop in once in a while and check in with things. If anything too bad happens. I'm sure Heimdalll will alert me."

"Are we good to continue part two of this trial, then?" Fury asked.

"Fine by me," Thor responded.

Loki only gave a half shrug as he started to read the summery on the back of the book.

"Carry on," Fury said, then left the library, followed by Coulson.

"What happened to your face?" Thor asked suddenly.

"What happened to yours," Loki retorted.

Tony couldn't help but laugh, "Typical siblings."

The two looked at him for a moment, before returning their attention to each other. "Nothing's wrong with my face," Thor pouted.

"Always the gullible one," Loki chuckled. He looked to Tony for a moment, considering the man before speaking, "Mind if I speak to him alone?"

Tony put back a few books, then left the room without another word. Once he was gone, Loki glanced around the room, "They're everywhere," he grunted, then looked to his brother, "It's like they don't trust the people on this fortress," he smiled.

Thor only looked back at him a bit confused.

"Never mind," Loki shook his head.

"Why'd you clear the room?" Thor asked.

"Huh? Oh well, I was just getting tired of him," he looked back to the book and began reading, "You can head back to Asgard, now."

Thor folded his arms across his chest, "Do you plan on continuing to torment the Captain?" he asked.

Loki rose a finger, finishing the paragraph he was on, before looking up, "Huh?"

"Steve, the Captain. I've noticed you seemed to be focusing in on him." Thor narrowed his eyes in on him, "I know I've said it before brother, but don't pull anything you'll regret," Thor warned. "You're known for your mistakes, I'm only trying to help."

"I'm not stupid," Loki assured him.

"So you keep telling me," Thor frowned, "Just...be careful," he repeated before heading towards the exit of the library.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked.

"Back to Asgard, I have duties to attend to," Thor glanced back at him one last time before leaving.

"Very well," Loki replied.

* * *

**A/N: I probably could have posted this yesterday, after going over it and feeling that the chapter was too long, but oh well. The following chapter will be mostly the second half of what I planned on posting in this chapter, but decided to cut in two. On a lighter note, I just saw the Dark World for the 2nd time, so many lols and tears of joy. Might get part two out tonight -fingers crossed- but part 2 so far is a bit lacking, I'm hoping to throw some good stuffs in near the end, mayhaps w to make up for the dryness, but we'll see.  
Thor: What's with all these shoes?**


	8. 8: Sheets

Several days passed before Steve faced Loki again, but looking at him was still difficult to do without blushing. _This isn't right, _he told himself._ He shouldn't make me feel like this. But I can't help thinking of Lonna every time I see him. God this is so difficult. If only I had never found out who she really was then I'd feel better about the whole situation. I find it difficult to concentrate. I'm watching Loki nodding off, trying to stay awake through Fury's lecture. It reminds me a bit of school when the one kid would nod off during class, and everyone is more interested in watching him make a fool of himself rather than listen to the teacher. In this case, the rest of the class is me, and I must admit it's quite entertaining, quite a bit more than whatever Fury's is talking about. Wait, what was he talking about again?_

"Loki...Loki..." BANG!

Loki's eyes shot open, but other than the sudden jolt, he didn't look all that surprised. "I'm sorry...what?" he asked coolly.

Steve chuckled under his breath, which caught Fury's attention, but only for a split second.

"You're not trying very hard to prove yourself," Fury warned.

"Sorry, stomach ache," he smiled. "By all means, continue on. Don't let my discomfort distract you from what's truly important." He gestured with his hand, as if giving Fury permission to continue.

Fury narrowed his eyes at Loki, "I didn't think gods could get sick," Fury pried.

Loki smirked with a nod, "But as the Allfather so blatantly put it, like humans, we are born, we live and we die," he paused then added, "give or take five thousand years. Therefore we're not _gods_," he said making air quotes around the word gods, "and therefore can be just as mortal as you. Technically."

"Wait, you're five thousand years old?" Steve asked finally tuning into the conversation.

Loki snorted, "Hardly, but I could live that long, longer if I'm lucky."

Steve stared at him a bit longer, carefully considering her next question, "So how old are you?"

"Come on, you know you never ask a woman her age," Tony chinned in.

Loki only rolled his eyes. "How about I just leave it open to imagination," he suggested.

Fury adjusted himself, and continued talking about various things, that Steve still wasn't all that sure what was going on. Now his mind was on possibilities for Loki's age. He said something about five thousand years, but that didn't mean he was that old, it meant he could live to be that old. To see so much history, that was a fascinating idea. Then again he lived through quite a lot, but he was asleep for most of it._ I wish I could just get him out of my mind_, Steve told himself. But having him in the room makes it that much more difficult.

The meeting ended in due time, though Steve never did find out what the meeting was about. His mind was too busy being occupied by thoughts of Loki, which he shouldn't have been thinking of in the first place, at least not as much as he had. Too his surprise, Loki had left just as the group did, leaving Steve with a feeling of disappointment. Frowning, Steve gathered up his belongings and left the meeting room, entered the elevator and exited the Avengers Tower. He hopped onto his bike and drove home, his thoughts never waning of Loki.

Steve walked up the stairs, leading to his apartment, rubbing his eyes. There were more important things that could be occupying his mind, but the more he tried not to think of Loki, the more he thought about why he was thinking about him.

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved his keys and opened the door. Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him, but stopped in his tracks. Something was amiss. Slowly he turned around, to find himself face to face with Loki. On impulse, he rose his fist to strike, when Loki rose his hands in surrender. Steve hesitated, but slowly lowered his fist. "What are you doing in my home?!" he demanded.

"Look, before you go Captain AWOL on me, I just wanted a place to talk to you that didn't involve any form of recording and lack of actual privacy, because I have learned I'm not the best at holding an illusion while-" he cut himself off and shook his head, "I just want to talk."

* * *

They were seated in Steve's living room, Loki had dressed down from his typical leather and metal to a sort of black suit and tie as if expecting to go to some fancy party at any moment. He didn't seem to like the idea of being comfortable, compared to Steve who had changed out of his button down shirt for a slim fitting v-neck and slacks.

Steve leaned forward in his chair, "You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

Loki scratched at his jaw, shifting in his seat, "I know you find it had to trust me..."

"That's an understatement," Steve interrupted.

Loki sighed, hanging his head low, "I know," he looked back up at Steve, "But you must understand, I hadn't meant for things to go farther than just teasing and a little flirting. That first night took me by as much surprise as it had you. I let myself go and I'm sorry."

Steve didn't even pretend to believe him, "This is just going to be a waste of my time, isn't it. I'm well aware of the games you play," he said standing up, "and I'm not gonna let myself sit here and listen to them."

Loki stood as well, blocking Steve from going anywhere, "I'm not playing games," he protested, "I only wanted to apologies...if you'll let me."

"You can say what you want, but I know better than to believe you," Steve snapped, "After things Thor has told us about you, how can you expect me to sit here and hear you out? You manipulate people for your own liking and lie to get your way."

Loki stared at him, jaw hanging low, "He talks about me?" there was a hint of hurt in his voice as if he hadn't expected his brother to speak bad of him.

"Yeah, he told us a lot. He even told us that he's close to losing hope in you. Not that you've given him any reason to believe there might be a chance," Steve bashed.

"But I have changed!" Loki objected.

"You're like the boy who cried wolf," Steve snorted.

"I'm not sure what you're referencing," Loki said.

Steve snorted, "That's usually my line, but it doesn't matter. When someone lies enough then finally tells the truth, no one believes them. It's only common sense!"

"You sound like my brother!" Loki shot back, "I'm tired of his shadow following me everywhere I go! You don't know what it's like to be always haunted by a shadow!" he shouted.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE GONE THROUGH!" he shot back. "You don't know what it's like to wake up and everyone you've known and cared for is dead!"

"At least you've had someone to care about, anyone I thought cared about me, turned out to be a huge lie!"

"Well I just found out that I lost my virginity to a man!" Steve blurted.

Loki stared at him for a moment, unsure how to respond, "I was your first?"

Steve found himself breathing heavily as his eyes locked onto Loki's. His face flushed slightly at the question. "Y-yes," he replied. "Seventy years on ice and my first chance to get laid turns out to really be a man."

"Was I that bad?" Loki pressed.

Steve's cheeks grew redder, "Well...no, but that's...beside the point," he stammered.

Loki found his smile once more, closing the gap, "So you're admitting despite knowing that I'm a man, you quite enjoyed are little night together."

Steve watched him carefully, but his eyes kept falling on Loki's lips almost in anticipation. "I-I..." was all he managed until Loki pressed his lips to Steve's once more. This time Steve didn't fight it. Letting his body take over, he kissed Loki back, eyes closed and hardly a thought on his mind.

Loki laced his arms around Steve's waist, pulling him closer so he could feel every cure of Steve's body. Steve clutched Loki's arms, but didn't push him away, instead, he leaned into Loki's hold, kissing him back. He couldn't help how he craved the feeling it gave him. He could already feel _it_ pressing against his thigh, but now he didn't seem to care.

Loki pulled away, licking his lips. He scanned Steve for a response, but Steve looked a bit dazed. Finally coming to, Steve grabbed Loki by the arm, dragging him to his room. Loki looked to the bed then back to Steve with a sly grin, "Don't get too excited," Steve warned with a smirk.

Loki wasn't sure what he meant. Looking at his bulge, it was clear he was quite excited. Once Steve shoved Loki onto the bed however, it was clear he wouldn't have the control he always craved. Steve was in control this time and as he pressed Loki into the bed, kissing his neck, Loki wasn't sure if he cared that he didn't have control over it or not.

Steve tugged at Loki's tie, undoing it, while Loki undid the buttons to his shirt. They both struggled to pull clothes from one anothers body. Pulling and tugging, un-wanting to break the kiss as they went. Loki swallowed as he gawked up at Steve's bare body. He had seen it before, but even as Lonna he had the control. Seeing Steve from below was quite menacing in a way. Every curve, every twitch of muscle was quite frightening, yet very enticing.

Without warning, Steve flipped Loki onto his stomach, the hunger growing quickly as he pressed himself against Loki's entrance. Loki clutched the sheets as he pressed his face into the pillow. His body screamed for Steve, readying himself for the bliss. As Steve ever so carefully entered Loki's tight body, Loki lost his mind, gasping out Steve's name. The feeling was quite strange, yet very enjoyable, especially when Steve really got going.

Steve completely emerged himself within Loki, reaching as deep as he possibly could. He leaned into Loki, pressing his lip into the crock of Loki's neck and down his spine. Each kiss releasing small moans from Loki's lips. With every thrust, Steve got a bit more forceful, which Loki seemed to really enjoy. Steve could feel the buildup intensify and finally end in release into Loki's hot body. Just after he reached his end, he heard Loki reach his with a loud moan as he tightly gripped the sheets of the bed. Loud pants exchanged between the two men and Steve removed himself from within Loki, then flopped down beside him. He took a deep breath then slowly let it out before looking over at Loki with a lazy smile.

Loki adjusted himself so that he was stretched out on the bed, still on his stomach. He returned the lazy smile. His eyes already felt heavy, had Steve really drained him that much? He pushed his head into the pillow, feeling sleep catch up to him fast.

Steve watched him without a word, but the smile remained. He had no thoughts trying to convince him otherwise. At that moment, as he lay watching Loki drift to sleep, Steve was happy.

* * *

**A/N: Long chapters are long. Yeah I'm glad I split this into two parts, lol. So this one has some shaky parts, but I hope I made up for it for that last part ;3**


	9. 9: Waffles

Steve awoke to an empty bed. He wasn't surprised, but he was still disappointed. He glanced at the clock realizing it was the next day. Had he really slept that long? He sat up rubbing his eyes until he heard a distant heaving sound. He listened for a bit longer until he realized it was coming from his bathroom. Slipping from his bed, he slipped on some pants then followed the sound. He found Loki hunched over his toilet, spilling his guts. Steve gawked at him, "Are you okay?"

Loki wiped his mouth then slowly turned to look at Steve, "I feel like I have a need for a market," he replied quietly.

"How about a doctor?" Steve suggested.

Loki shook his head and rose to his feet. Steve took notice that he was still naked, but at the moment, he was more concerned with him being sick. "I'd prefer a market place first, before we jump the gun," Loki said.

"Steve frowned, eyeing Loki once more, "Very well."

After they dressed, Steve lead the way down the stairs and to the apartment's parking garage where Steve had his bike parked.

"What's this?" Loki asked.

"My motorcycle," Steve said as he got onto it. "Hop on," he said gesturing towards the seat behind him.

"No way!" Loki protested. "Besides, too many people recognize my face. Wont that be bad for your image, riding with the enemy?"

"What, like last night?" Steve asked, turning Loki's words against him.

Loki felt the heat rise in his cheeks, almost startled by the suaveness in Steve's words. He had pulled a Loki on him, and Loki wondered if he was rubbing off on the man. Loki snorted and his body glowed, transforming himself back to Lonna. "I think I'll be more comfortable, like this."

Steve gawked at her. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but he had mixed feelings on seeing her again. Sure it's the same person, but something about it made him hurt on the inside. "Hop on," he said again.  
Lonna kicked her leg over the side, sitting really close to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek into his back. The feeling was nice and made her feel quite at home. Steve started up the motorcycle and they drove off. They road down the street, passing in and out of traffic until they reached a small stop and shop. Steve came to a stop, allowing Lonna to get off.

"You don't have to come in, I know what I need," she assured him.

"Do you even have any money?" Steve asked.

"You think I was working for SHIELD for free?" Lonna smiled. Her smile was much more inviting in this form.

"Oh...alright then," Steve got up off the bike anyway, "I'll just wait out here then." Lonna started to walk towards the door when Steve called out again, "And get me a pop!"

Lonna waved her hand over her shoulder than entered the store. Steve leaned against the mail container that stood outside the shop, waiting for Lonna to get whatever it was she was looking for. He wasn't sure what kind of illnesses Asgardians got, but he hoped it wasn't anything serious.

"Mommy! It's Captain America!" came the voice of a young girl.

Steve glanced over at her, seeing her run towards him brought a smile to his face.

"Candace, don't go running up to him like that!" her mother called.

Steve smiled, squatting down to the small girl's level, "It's all fine by me ma'am," Steve beamed up at her.

The woman rested a hand on her chest, her cheeks flushed. "No need to call me ma'am," she stammered.

Steve smiled, "Only being polite, ma'am."

The woman held her cheeks, completely embarrassed, but Steve directed his attention to the small girl, "So your name is Candace, huh?"

The girl suddenly became really bashful, but nodded, her blond pigtails bouncing as she did so, "Uh-huh!"

"I'm guessing you're a fan?" Steve asked.

The girl's face brightened up, "Yeah," she beamed then spun around to show him her backpack which was made to look like his shield, "Good ol' red, white, and blue!" she announced.

Steve nodded, "Only the best," he agreed. Suddenly, Steve was tackled from the side, but he wasn't quick to react. Something told him he didn't have anything to worry about. Once he looked over his shoulder, he knew he was fine. Clinging to his side was a small boy.

"I'm sooo sorry," came another female voice, "He just insisted on saying hi," she giggled.

Steve smirked, "Is this how he usually greets people?"

The mother shook her head, "He's actually quite shy," she admitted.

Steve looked to the small boy, "Is that true?"

The boy didn't respond, but that was answer enough. Soon Steve found himself surrounded by children and hungry mothers, taking pictures, (as well as a few fathers). To his relief, Lonna finally exited the store, bag in hand. The look on her face was priceless as the bag almost slipped from her fingers. Steve glanced over at Lonna, relief filling his face.

Lonna smirked, "Having fun?"

Everyone's eyes locked on her in an instant. A sense of jealousy filled the air. Lonna swallowed hard and rose a brow. But as Lonna had said before, she doesn't threaten. Smiling, she approached the Steve, weaving in and out of the crowd of children. Once she reached Steve, she reached into her bag and pulled out a lollie pop.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"You said you wanted a pop, right?" she tilted her head, now confused for once.

Steve sighed, "Soda-pop. I forgot most people call it soda now, but I guess it all depends where you're from."

"Well next time be more specific," she said jabbing him in the shoulder. Her attention was drawn away by a sudden tugging on her pant leg. She looked down to see a small boy staring up at her. Steve tensed up, unsure how she might react. Lonna stared at the boy a bit longer, "Yes?"

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"She's my _friend_," Steve replied, not giving Lonna a chance to come up with some elaborate response.

"Is she a superhero too? Does she have powers?" the boy asked.

"She's very powerful," Steve replied.

"Are you an Avenger?" a small girl asked, looking up at Lonna with cute brown eyes.

Another girl came up alongside her, "Did you help fight away the aliens?"

The boy that was already at her side asked, "Or that bad guy?"

Steve could see the hurt in Lonna's face. Usually she was so good at hiding how she felt, but at that moment, it was clear that each question chipped away at her a bit. "Unfortunately," he started, "She wasn't here when the aliens attacked. She was in a completely different realm." he assured them.

A young teenage girl who had been standing off to the side, asked, "So...you're like...an alien too?"

"Something like that," Lonna replied.

"But you don't look like an alien," the young boy said.

"Do you guys know who Thor is?" Lonna asked.

"Yessss!" the group of children said in unison.

"He's an alien," she smiled, "We're from the same place, in fact."

"Wow," a girl swooned, "Do you have a magic hammer too?"

Lonna smiled then crouched down to the girl's height, "No...but I have magic." With a gesture of her hand, she conjured up three cats. One black, one white and one golden brown. The cats purred and meowed, moving around the crowed and rubbed up against the small children. The children laughed as the cats passed by them and got in a line. Suddenly the cats rose onto their hind legs and from thin air they conjured bright colored balls and began to juggled. The children laughed in delight. Even Steve was taken aback by Lonna's genuine smile.

"Sorry to cut this short," Steve interrupted, "but we need to get going."

The crowed of people that had gathered, awed simultaneously.

"Sorry guys," Steve waved as he hopped onto his bike.

Lonna rose back to a standing position and disbanded the cats as she got onto the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around Steve's waist. Steve stared up the bike, saluted to the crowed and drove off.  
They came up to a small diner that Steve had come to favor. Pulling to a stop, he let Lonna off then followed behind her. "You're pretty good with kids," Steve said suddenly.

Lonna smiled, "I have kids of my own," she admitted.

Steve stopped in his tracks, "Wait...what? Really?"

Lonna turned to face him, "Are you really that surprised. I've been around for a long time, I get bored."

"So you decided to spawn a few children in spite?"

"Not all of them were born of boredom," she assured him, "I was married for a while," she paused, "a few times actually."

Steve was utterly baffled, "Well...what...happened?"

"Life...some things just don't always last," she shrugged.

"And what about your kids?" Steve asked.

Lonna let out a long sigh, "It's complicated." She shook her head, "I haven't seen most of them in a long while, mostly because my...the Allfather banned them to different realms to punish me." She bit her lip, "But that was a long time ago. Let's get something to eat," she said turning back towards the door.

Steve took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. It would surly take him a while to wrap his mind around that bombshell. He followed Lonna inside, managing to get to the door just as she did, but like any gentlemen, he couldn't resist holding the door for her. Once inside, she turned to him again and said, "You get a table, I'm gonna run to the rest room really quick." Steve nodded and found a booth as Lonna disappeared into the single person stall.

Reaching into the bag she still held, she withdrew the white box that lay inside, opened it up and followed the directions. A few minutes passed and she found herself gawking at the plastic stick in her hand. It was positive. A loud bang came to the door, "I'M BUSY!" she shouted back. She hadn't quite thought of what to say, nor did she care. After a few more minutes of gawking at it, she tossed it into the waste bin and left the stall.

Steve waved to get her attention, signaling where he was sitting. As if nothing happened, she sat with a smile. After all, she is the king of lies. Looking down, she glanced at the menu, "Midgardian food is strange," she said.

Steve smiled, "Never had a hamburger before?" he chuckled.

Lonna rose a brow, "What's a hamburger?"

"Just what kind of food do you have on Asgard?" Steve snorted.

"Real food," Lonna replied reading through the menu, "Nothing like...why in the world would you need to stuff a turkey into pork, stuffed into beef?" she asked, scrunching up her nose. Just the idea of trying to figure out how that worked made her stomach churn. _This is not going to be fun_, she thought to herself. "It sounds like something Volstagg came up with, which I don't doubt."

"Volstagg?" Steve asked.

Lonna looked up from the menu, "He's...a friend...of Thor's," she shrugged, "Let's just say he really likes food."

Steve nodded, "I'm sure. Speaking of which, have you decided?"

"I think I'll get the strawberry pancakes...no...blueberry french toast...no the crepe," she mulled it over a bit longer. "The strawberry french toast." She looked up at him, but flushed slightly when she saw his amused stare.

"Hungry?" he chuckled.

"Indecisive," she corrected. But the truth lay within her, literally.

* * *

Moments later, their food arrived and Steve got a good laugh out of watching Lonna hork down her food. If only he knew the true reason behind her growth in hunger and sudden food mood swings. "So, that's a hamburger?" she asked unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

Steve wiped his mouth on a napkin, then gave a nod, "Wanna try?"

Lonna scrunched up her nose in distaste, but she couldn't help but admit that it did smell pretty good, "I guess...maybe...?"

Steve held it out for her, which she took hesitantly, "Am I holding it right?"

"Yeah, you have it," Steve chuckled.

Lonna took a bite of the burger then quickly handed it back to Steve like it was poison.

"Well?"

"It's good," she admitted, "I just never expected the combination to work."

"Well now you can bring it back to Asgard and share it with your friends," Steve suggested.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Lonna asked.

Steve's eyes quickly shot back to his burger as he struggled not to look into her eyes, "No...I...like yo- having you around," he replied.

Lonna looked to her plate, which was practically clean by now, "Things might be easier if you didn't," she mumbled.

Steve's eyes shot to her, "What do you mean by that?"

Lonna shook her head, "Nothing," she assured him. "Maybe next time I visit Asgard, I'll bring you with me," she said suddenly.

Steve perked up, "Really?"

Lonna feigned a smile, "Sure, I mean so long as it's ok with Thor...and the Allfather...and Heimdall, I wouldn't see why not," _Now you've done it_, she told herself.

* * *

**A/N: And so Loki keeps getting himself into deeper shit. :D Time to mess with him for a bit.**


End file.
